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Viktor Kassai is one of the most seasoned referees at the final tournament. Nobody else has been joining the highest UEFA Referee Category for a longer time: Kassai is an Elite Group Referee since January 2008.

The Hungarian tourism manager with hubs in Budapest and Thessaloniki is therefore EURO-experienced: After participating in EURO 2008 as 4th Official, he was nominated as one of 12 main referees for EURO 2012. He became publicly known for his Additional Assistant Referee's goal error in Ukraine-England which made UEFA send the Hungarian crew at home after group stage.

Having refereed the Champions League 2011 Final in Wembley (FC Barcelona vs ManUtd.), Kassai knows big stadiums and how to control this kind of matches. That's also a reason why he has been assigned to take charge of the EURO 2016 opener in Stade de France tonight.

Refereeing Style

Decision Taker or Game-Manager? Even though Viktor Kassai has sophisticated management and leadership abilities, it is difficult to say whether he is a rather lenient or pedantic referee. Probably, it depends on the game. There have already been matches where he applied a very lenient line such as in the World Cup 2010 semifinal Germany vs Spain where he gave the first foul after almost 20 minutes. But there have already been numerous ties which did not end with 22 players on the field of play or with more than 7 yellow cards and a very pedantic line in his foul selection. So - difficult to classify Kassai. Maybe he possesses the ability to flexibly adapt his approach to the requirements of the match. Or maybe he is simply unpredictable. If I had to decide, I think his attitude towards the game is nonetheless management-orientated.

His advantage. He has made through many ups and several downs. This might have helped him to draw the right conclusions prior to this tournament and it is really interesting to see how much is possible for him - the opener match already is a remarkable achievement and comeback to UEFA's Refereeing peak.

His team's appointment for the opener match proofs that UEFA trusts them by 100%. Probably, he is no candidate for the final so that they have chosen him for the first big match. Hopefully, he can savour a more successful competition than in 2012. Kassai's chances to reach the K.O. phase are definitely solid - also considering his solid form.